Forging Alliances: Wizards of White Haven

by Frances Howitt

  ‘Thank you,’ Jim said as he released Rupert. ‘Don’t worry; I doubt he’s aware your people are here. We need to keep it that way, raise no suspicions.’

  ‘I’ll spread the word and try to keep people calm,’ Rupert promised quickly, aware Cyril’s Standard alone was liable to instil panic and flight in some of the clan. That would draw attention to them by implying some type of guilt. Forewarned, the clan knew how to act to remain unnoticed in as far as was possible.

  Jim reached for the gate guard, having ascertained from Rupert’s mind who it was today, and gave them permission to open the gates and send the party on up to him. He kept contact and watched through the guardsman’s eyes as the acceptance was issued and the party stepped forward to pass through the gateway. Sir Cyril turned as they passed out of the gateway arch, but was not looking at the gate or guardsmen, but at the wall itself. Had he felt the spell on the outside and wondered at its absence on the inside? Or did he think he was now not being watched so closely, as when he and his party stood outside? As he turned his full attention forward and urged his party into a brisk trot, Jim left the guardsman’s mind.

  ‘Shall I take Daisy to Amelie?’ Rupert asked, glancing towards the crib sitting beside the desk.

  ‘Yes, that’s probably sensible. Thanks Rupert,’ Jim added and held open the door for him as he carefully lifted the crib and walked with it so smoothly Daisy wasn’t jostled awake.

  ‘Jim?’ Cassy called mentally, ‘I hear Sir Cyril has just entered the grounds?’

  ‘Yes. He’s on his way up. What do you need?’

  ‘I thought you should know that Dad contacted me only a few minutes ago to say the Council had been in a closed session this morning. Sir Cyril called the meeting. He’s apparently been appointed the interim leader of the Eastern Guild!’

  ‘So? We’re independent of the local Guild, remember.’

  ‘Ah, but has the Guild given you official confirmation that they accept that status? Be careful sir, Sir Cyril is the one the guilds call on to resolve difficult situations.’

  ‘He’s the enforcer?’

  ‘Yes. He’s also the one who took down Féarmathuin Castle years ago.’

  ‘Ah, I didn’t know that. Thank you,’ Jim responded, now realising the real reason Rupert and the other Clan gate guards had been so anxious. He left his office and headed for the front steps, stopping just inside the door where he could see the party’s approach through the glass. ‘He’s nearly here. While I think about it, it might be sensible to close the Portal while he’s on the grounds. I don’t know whether he’d be able to sense its magic, but it is stronger when it’s being used. If anyone wants to use it, get them to wait until he’s in the school itself. Our students’ presence will mask its magic then.’

  ‘Understood. I’ll tell them,’ Cassy assured him and left his mind. She also needed to help Drako calm his people, many of whom would be panicking at the proximity of their old foe. They did at least have the secret area behind the big earthen bank at the far end of the village. That would be a better place to send people, since they could walk there out of the rear of the village without being seen. The bank would also mask the magical presence of such a large concentration of animus people in the village so close to the gates. Sir Cyril was already on the grounds however and had probably passed the village entrance. He might well have already noticed animus presences there. Cassy just hoped he was more interested in getting up to the school directly to meet the biggest potential threat: Jim.

  ‘Derek,’ Jim called next and waited for his response. ‘I just thought you should be aware that Sir Cyril is coming up the drive.’

  ‘Sir Cyril?’ Derek responded, shock and surprise in his tone.

  ‘Yes. I believe he may now be the interim leader of the Eastern Guild. Keep yourself close in case he wants to talk to you.’

  ‘No problem. Should I release my class?’

  ‘No. We’ll wait and see what he wants first. I’d rather the students were all safely out of the way in their lessons.’

  ‘What about your daughter? I did wonder why she’d just been brought into my class.’

  ‘You’ve got her mother and Natalya in your class,’ Jim reminded and felt Derek’s immediate understanding. He doubted anyone would be able to force their way past the warrior wizard sisters. They would ensure there was no safer place for Daisy to be.

  As Jim stepped out the door and onto the steps he noticed the wizard’s gaze, which had been scanning the building and indeed all the others in view, stilled to focus on him. Cyril’s four men watched him too and their sudden wariness told him they not only recognised him, but had heard some kind of story about him. They glanced behind him, probably expecting some kind of backup when faced with their squad and also the infamous Sir Cyril. The fact that the only other person to have stepped outside was a middle aged woman, wearing an apron, probably confused them.

  Jim stood silently waiting as they nervously sorted themselves out, dismounting and securing their horses to the hitching rail, before gathering together to finally approach him. It gave him time to assess each of them. None of the squad were ordinaries; but each a wizard. Whilst none felt particularly powerful magically, they would serve Cyril as magic donors, enabling him to create a quick meld should he need to defend or attack. He wondered if they were soldiers or colleagues.

  Cyril himself gave off no magical signature whatsoever; he registered as a void. Jim kept his smile to himself recognising the same kind of heavy shield Natalya used. Whilst useful to hide a wizard presence amongst humans, he could still sense the hum of magic. Perhaps other wizards couldn’t detect this, but thanks to Natalya, he’d learned to look for it. The very nature of that shield told him that this wizard was not only strong but had the discipline to contain all his magic. There was no “leakage” of magic which was what the majority of other wizards were unable to prevent. Unfortunately his shield also ensured that Cyril’s natural skill-set was indeterminable. Where did his strengths lie?

  ‘Welcome to White Haven School. I’m Wizard Jim the headmaster,’ he announced politely rather than warmly.

  ‘Good afternoon. I am Sir Cyril, newly appointed the Eastern Guild’s representative.’

  ‘Ah, Congratulations. Please forgive me for asking, but if you are their representative why do you bear your personal standard rather than theirs?’

  ‘It seemed prudent. Our last representative did not meet with a cordial welcome.’

  ‘This is about Jared?’ Jim asked.

  ‘Yes. Conflicting reports have been filed.’

  ‘I’m certain they have. You’ve come to find out the truth of the matter?’

  ‘Yes, amongst other things.’

  ‘You’d best come inside.’ He glanced at Mrs White and gave her some quick mental instructions even whilst leading the whole party to his office. These men were wizards. Unless Cyril wished to exclude them, Jim had no problem with them learning the truth of Jared’s attempted kidnap of Amelie and Daisy. As the party filed past him into his office, Jim was amused to note that the wizards all took pains to avoid even brushing against him as they entered the room. Certainly none had attempted to shake his hand as humans so readily wished to do. Were they so wary that he might overpower them, or indeed use physical contact to leach their power? It would probably surprise them to know he had no more wish to do that than they did.

  ‘Thank you,’ Cyril said absently as he and his men took the chairs offered. To Cyril’s surprise, Jim did not sit down behind the desk, where he could assume the position of authority, but pulled the chair out from behind his desk to join them. However, none were in any doubt as to the formidable nature of this young wizard; his shield gave off a subtle hum indicating powerful reserves of magic. Trying to read the signature of Jim’s magic proved more difficult than Cyril had expected, especially given the young man’s relative inexperience and that he was not a warrior wizard.

  Cyril frowned, disliking being unable to classify another
wizard and in particular, estimating his natural magical character and strengths. Despite Jim’s friendly open appearance, Cyril sensed he was wary and those oddly colour changing eyes were intensely watchful. The thought also occurred, now they were face to face, that he’d heard reports that this wizard could shift into a lion. That was no creature to dismiss. He now wondered if Jim’s seemingly innocent seating arrangement had not been carefully planned. An animus was far superior to the average wizard in their strength and reaction times. Cyril had no way of knowing how quickly this wizard could shift and therefore the level of danger. Had he positioned himself so the desk would not hamper the lion from springing to attack? It was not a comfortable feeling and Cyril found himself nodding in grudging approval.

  ‘Thank you for seeing me without an appointment,’ he said politely. ‘I’ll get straight to the point as you’re doubtless busy. It has come to the Guild Council’s attention that you have declared this school independent of the Eastern Guild’s rule. My understanding however, is that you were not meaning to separate yourself from the Guilds as a whole?’

  ‘That is correct; there would be no point in that. White Haven’s students will continue the same curriculum they always have, graduate and enter the guild system. The main difference is that they can now skip the unpaid work in Guild Service. They will be able to choose where they wish to work, even if it is in a different county. They’ll also choose for themselves their field of work and expect to be financially compensated for their efforts from the outset. Perhaps you are annoyed by this stance, but you should be aware that White Haven has not had any financial funding or physical aid from the Eastern Guild in quite a number of years. It seemed pointless and rather unfair to tithe our graduates into working for free for a guild that had not supported their training. I have merely clarified our previously unofficial position publicly, so our wizard parents in particular know where we stand. The parents have been remarkably supportive of our position and we have had increasing numbers of students enrolling as a result.’

  ‘I can reinstate guild support, add guild representatives to your board of governors,’ Cyril responded. ‘Assuming of course the quality of the school warrants it. I can make some preliminary assessments today.’

  Jim eyed him, trying to calm his immediate ire and avoid growling aloud. He’d discovered that tended to cause considerable alarm. He did have to consider what was in everyone else’s best interests too. Perhaps he should introduce a board of governors, now the school was growing, rather than relying on school staff alone. Conceding that point now however, would give Cyril an opening to push his own people in. No, people with a true interest in his students’ welfare would be the only ones invited.

  ‘If you’d come to us a year ago with that offer we’d have bitten your hand off,’ Jim admitted with a small smile. ‘Having the guild swoop in now, to take control, after we’ve done all the hard work ourselves, repairing the buildings and making the school self-sufficient, is a little insulting. I can only assume your interest in doing this is because we are proving popular with students and have a growing number of people outside of the debenture system. The guild has only itself to blame. As I said before, we have considerable parental support. I also have Lord Aubrey’s permission.’

  ‘Lord Aubrey is providing financial backing?’

  ‘No. The tuition fees we charge cover our running costs.’

  ‘I don’t understand. You charge less than most other academies and they have guild financial backing.’

  ‘Perhaps we are more cost efficient. I imagine the main difference is that many of our school’s day to day essentials are made on site in our support village.’

  ‘I wondered what that village was for. How do you pay them then?’

  ‘We don’t. They fulfil school needs, whether for goods or labour, in return for living in the homes we provided, rent free. The rest of their time is their own.’

  ‘You allow them to sell any excess?’ Cyril asked with a frown.

  ‘Indeed. As long as the school is kept well-supplied, that’s all that is important to us. Failed or late deliveries were becoming a nuisance, but now these industries are under our control, we can take appropriate action early if supply is likely to be a problem. We can be flexible and divert hands from other tasks when necessary too. The system works. So, if any of them wish to work harder to make other things to sell, that is their business.’

  ‘I see. That sounds remarkably cooperative,’ Cyril remarked, wondering exactly how Jim had set that up and what else he had offered skilled tradesmen to relocate here. No one was that selfless or cooperative without considerable personal benefit.

  ‘It took some negotiation,’ Jim admitted with a small shrug, noticing Cyril’s scepticism. Jim wondered how he would fare personally if the guilds decided to try and take control of his future and then of course there was Amelie and Natalya. The guild would be very interested in two warrior wizards. There was also the problem of the animus to consider. The students would probably be asked to leave. The other concern was that Cyril had been the one in charge of the attack on Clan Green Bear all those years ago. It could be disastrous if he realised who exactly had moved into the village.

  ‘I have little doubt. Moving on, I’d quite like to know what happened when wizard Jared came to see you. Why it degenerated into a fight.’

  ‘He never came to see me,’ Jim corrected and Cyril tilted his head questioningly. ‘Not openly and honestly like you are doing. No, Jared arrived outside the walls in the middle of the night, with a battle squad. He tricked my fiancée into going outside. There was no approaching the gate or announcing their presence. Instead, he ensnared her and attempted to abduct her and our newborn daughter.’

  ‘That is not what was reported,’ Cyril said.

  ‘I have little doubt the records were falsified, unless her abduction was sanctioned?’

  ‘No hints of that are on record. Do you have proof?’

  ‘What did go on record I believe, was that their squad team leader, wizard Derek was reported dead. Needless to say that stirred up the local wizards to consider me dangerous and an out of control thug. That slander aside, what actually happened was that I defeated the squad without any loss of life. Wizard Derek was at the forefront of the attack ordered against me, as the team leader. He was injured early on and became separated from his team. None of them took the time to look seriously for him before leaving. It was easier to assume his death and convenient to lay the blame on me. The report of his demise was equally false.’

  ‘How do you know this for sure? He has not returned to his post at Half Circle,’ Cyril responded, having indeed read that report. It had instantly stirred anger and concern as to what punitive measures might be necessary. However, he’d read other reports with conflicting information, leading him to wonder just what was truly going on. Some wizards seemed to regard Jim as a monster, while others viewed him with approval. That approval and vouching for Jim’s character was what had urged him to risk this personal visit to fact find.

  ‘They left him to suffer, overnight, with two broken legs. We found him next morning, took him in, healed him and he’s now on my teaching staff. He’s actually just down the hall in class. I can call him in if you’d like to speak to a witness?’

  Cyril’s jaw clenched. If what this young wizard said was true, things were worse in the east than he’d ever imagined. What the hell kind of leadership allowed these things? Why had the records not been officially set straight? Derek had been leading the battle squad attack yet was now working for Jim?

  ‘Yes, please send him in. I’m sure he’ll be very enlightening.’

  After a very informative discussion with wizard Derek, Cyril had a better appreciation as to why eastern wizards were turning their back on their local guild. How deep the rot had set in he had yet to ascertain, but the fact remained that the Council should have heard reports of problems with its leadership before it ever reached this stage. Someone had to have been
covering it up and the more he thought about it the higher he suspected the problem originated. But how the hell outsiders influenced a guild to do their bidding worried him. Guilds were meant to be independent of sovereign rulings, yet he’d noticed Prince Casper had seemed far too knowledgeable about and interested in the details of a country that should be outside of his control. What was he planning? His newest seat was the castle that sat at the border with Edmoston. Did he look across with covetous eyes? Did he think infiltrating the East’s wizard council, through his aide on the council would divide them, poison them with misinformation and give him control by stealth?

  Casper was known to attack without much warning, using speed and his military might to quickly blast into the heart of a territory’s defences. However, in his last battle, the day had been turned by one wizard alone; the very person now sitting across from him. It abruptly occurred to him that Jim might be the sole reason Casper was wary, acting with stealth and pushing other wizards to take Jim out. Wizards were critical in the East’s defence. Once Jim was out of the picture and with much of the wizard council under his thumb, Casper would have swept away much of the area’s defensive capability.

  Jim nodded his thanks as Derek gladly left the office. He sipped from a fresh cup of tea watching Sir Cyril quietly drinking his, as he stared sightlessly at the table with a frown across his crinkled brow.

  ‘I would now like to meet the student Jared attempted to abduct,’ Cyril announced. ‘Your fiancée and also your daughter.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I’d like to know what all the fuss was about,’ Cyril said, watching Jim closely. Blue eyes had immediately turned gold and the young man’s stance had turned tense and defensive. ‘It is purely to meet them. I have no intention of behaving in any underhand manner.’

  ‘Very well,’ Jim acknowledged and called Amelie.